Archive for July 2017

People are so anxious to get their hands on the Model 3 that they are pining over it via song:

James Man has written a lovely tune to keep himself sane while awaiting his Model 3. We all feel his words.

…want to navigate life pollution free,

want to leave my mark on the world without carbon,

forget that gas, I’m going green…

Theres plenty of low range EVs that will work fine as a second car as commuter, or even that exceptional family like ours that can master two. Though the sheer number of reservations (370,000 last count) shows an intense need for a higher range EV. And because a car has become a status symbol or fashionable accessory, buyers have not showed the same interest in the apt yet same-as-usual competitor the Chevrolet Bolt EV. While this is partly because of the styling. We can’t ignore the long range EV’s prerequisit, that of a reliable charging infrastructure. Having used third-party charging networks it is very difficult to rely on them.

Although, even when the charge network is perfectly placed and online, it is often confounding with an inconsistent billing structure. This is in part because some counties and even states restrict the resale of electricity by kilowatt hour. Though that’s hardly a reason for the exorbitant amount of charging per hour cost, as high as $3, or even $15 per charge session. These are of course unfair because EVs charge at different rates, or have different size packs, resulting in different costs.
Along with the charging infrastructure solution, Tesla has redesigned the car selling experience as well as car ownership. The constant over the air updates to software is a welcome perk. For instance updating my Kia Soul EV software required me to go through a lengthy process of transferring files from the SD card in the dash on my PC then go through a flash on the cars user interface.

Perhaps we should just expect the antiquated ways of the old-guard auto-manufacturers. Or perhaps, as James Man put it: